Capital Capture
by PHO3NIXFIRE
Summary: A group of Vault residents are kidnapped, pushing one man to find those responsible, and punish them. Rating may change in later chapters. Title subject to change.
1. Prologue

Dec 8, 2275,

Today was the worst day in Vault 88 history. It started out alright, nothing special. Around lunchtime, when everyone was in the diner, the Vault shook, like there was an earthquake or something. Smoke started coming out through the vents and the doors to the Reactor Level. Security and residents rushed down there to see what had happened, most of us guessed at a reactor blow out because of the earthquake. We didn't expect what had actually happened.

The ceiling in one of the empty storage rooms had caved in, light was pouring in, brighter than the Vault lighting. Then, one by one, around twenty people dropped into the room. These were nothing like I had ever seen, there skin was dirty, their hair was spiked and uncontrolled, their clothing had small spikes on it too, one person's even had severed hands attached, and as soon as they had all landed, one of them drew a weapon and opened fire at one of the security guards. Everyone panicked, and as soon as the first person reached the door, it started to close. I knew I wouldn't make it, so I ran to the first one I could and grabbed his gun, the guy was strong, but a guard took him out with his baton.

I started aiming, and I saw them dragging people back up through the hole on the ceiling. I fired the gun, this was the first time I had fired a gun, and I hit him in the leg, the guy was floored. I emptied the clip blindly after that, and saw about four more down in a pool of blood.

They left after that, shouting and hooting, and the light that filled the room dimmed, they had sealed up how they got through. The Overseer's voice came over the PA system, we all had to gather in the diner for a register, and security took the injured guy to be interrogated.

It turned out that twelve of us were missing. The other eleven I couldn't care about, but they had taken Erika. My best friend, the only reason I really stayed in this steel prison. I remember storming over to where they were interrogating the invader and punching him repeatedly, telling him to tell me where he took her. He laughed at me, telling me that he has accepted pain as an ally. Security dragged me to the Overseer after that. He told me to forget about the people kidnapped and get on with my life. I told him where he can shove it.

As I write this I promise that I will spend the rest of my life trying to get out this Vault and find her, and the rest of them.

Jason Roberts

Vault 88

That was five years ago. I held true to the promise I made in that diary entry, my last entry. I spent every day trying to persuade the Overseer and the security officers to either let me out of the front door or try digging out of the room the people came in last time, and every effort was futile. I spent every other moment practicing with weapons; I wanted to be ready when I got out there. I had persuaded the Overseer to install an intercom outside the door, my plan was to run out, but the Overseer foresaw this.

My break came though, on June 4, 2280, when a voice came over the intercom.


	2. Leaving the Vault

'Hello? Does this thing work? Is anyone alive in there? Hello?'

Every resident of the Vault rushed to the door, followed shortly by the Overseer.

'What's all the commotion?' he asked, pushing through the crowd.

'The intercom we installed a few years ago, someone is on the other end.' The Security Chief replied.

'Who is this?' asked the Overseer.

'Defender Williams, I'm with the Outcasts,' the voice answered, 'and who is this?'

'I am the Overseer of Vault 88,' he replied, 'who are the Outcasts?'

'We were once part of the Brotherhood of Steel, but after Lyons decided that the lives of residents in this dump were more important than our primary focus, we deserted him, and we stick to the Brotherhood's true goal.' Williams answered.

'And what precisely is that goal, Defender?' the Overseer asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

'The acquisition of new technology, and from our records, Vaults like this are teeming with technology. Besides, you probably want to get out of that hole, so we'll escort you to the closest thing we have to civilisation up here.' The Defender said.

A whisper rippled through the crowd, the prospect of leaving the Vault both excited and scared them.

'Give me a moment to think about this,' the Overseer replied.

He walked away with the Security Chief entailing him. Murmurs broke out within the crowd, some people expressing a will to leave; others showing uncertainty, but most of them looked like they wanted to stay within the Vault.

The Overseer returned, shooting a sneer my way before reaching the intercom.

'I have carefully considered your offer, I have decided to respectfully decline. I feel that our knowledge of what is out there is not sufficient enough for us to wander out unexpectedly, I may be leading the entire populace of this Vault to their deaths.'

I felt myself tensing up as each word came out of his mouth, and by the time he had finished his sentence, my jaw had tensed so much it was beginning to ache. As the crowd dissipated, a plan quickly formed, and I sprung to action.

'Wait!' I yelled down the intercom, not quite sure how I had got there so fast. 'Wait, give me one hour, I'll convince him to let you in, on one condition, you give me any information that I ask for.'

'You got a deal, kid,' Williams responded.

I ran to the Overseer's office as fast as I could without sliding on the metal floor of the Vault. I almost knocked over a security guard as I barged into what looked like a meeting with the entire security force.

'You've got to let me out,' I panted, catching my breath.

'Ahh, I knew it wouldn't be long for you to be in here, Roberts. I'm not letting you out.' His oily voice replied.

'Oh, come on!' I replied, feeling my face flushing with anger, 'You've got the perfect chance, you get rid of me, probably permanent, and at what cost? Losing a few bits and pieces from your vault.'

'Didn't you hear? They'd strip us bare!' The Overseer spat. 'I don't know what's out there. You don't know what's out there. This is the best decision for all of us.'

'Bullshit! It's the best decision for you! You and your tyrannical grip on our lives!' I retorted heatedly.

'Tyrannical? So now I'm the bad guy, huh Roberts? Who has kept us alive over the years? Who has kept us safe from who knows what out there? I have!' His voice started rising, I knew I was getting to him.

'And now that we have an opportunity to get out there and make our own living in the world, you turn it down, because when we go out there we'll all be equal. You won't have control over anyone but yourself!' I pushed on; I knew he would crack soon.

'Say I let them in, and we go with them? How long until they desert us? How long before we end up dying from starvation or dehydration? Who's to stop them from slaughtering us within these walls?' He yelled at me.

'We don't give them a chance.' I said, pausing and pacing the room while another plan formed in my head. 'Have them leave any weapons by the door, and escort them around the Vault. And if you're worried about others wanting to leave, get everyone in their quarters while the Outcasts search the place, get them to leave anything that you need to survive. Think about it, they get their tech, I get out of here, you get to keep everyone in here and you get rid of me. Who loses?'

I knew I had him with that. I could see his mind working, trying to find a hole in my proposition. Eventually, he stood up and looked at the security guards. A gesture had them leaving the room, and he walked over to the Vault's PA system.

'_This is your Overseer'_ He announced. _'All residents are to return to their quarters immediately. Spencer, to my office.'_

A few button presses had the voice repeating, and after around ten minutes, Spencer walked through the door.

'To your quarters, Roberts, collect your belongings, I'll meet you at the door.'

The next few minutes were a haze; I collected a few things from my room, I uploaded the last entry of my diary onto my Pip-Boy, grabbed a photo of Erika, and headed for the Vault door. I remember the blinding light as I first stepped into the sun's light, and the derelict and torn landscape of the Wastes as we made for the Outcast's base of operations, Fort Independence.


	3. Picking up the Trail

At Fort Independence, the Outcasts and I descended underground on a huge cargo elevator. Orange lights flashed and the sound of a motor struggling to hold up the elevator filled the shaft, and about ten minutes later, we reached the base.

'When did we start taking on wastelanders, Williams,' Said a man wearing the same heavy, red and black armour as the rest of the Outcasts.

'This kid is responsible for us getting into a vault,' Williams replied, gesturing towards me. 'I figured the least we could do is give him a hand with whatever he's got going on.'

'You know this goes against procedure?' Asked the guard.

'I know, Sir,' Williams replied. 'I will take full responsibility of him, though. Anything I can't get hold of, he won't get. Just, turn a blind eye to this, Sir.'

'Alright Williams,' he said, 'But if anything goes wrong, it's your ass.'

Williams saluted the man and gestured to me to follow him. We walked through the base, Outcast members were idly lingering in the hallways, staring at me as I walked past. We entered a room with a single table and two small, rusty chairs, and a single, dim light hung from the high ceiling, its light illuminating the thick dust that hung in the air.

'Sit.' Williams said, pointing at a chair. 'Now, as you've probably worked out, we don't do this kind of thing often, so firstly, don't tell anyone. Secondly, if this goes wrong in any way, it's on my ass, but also on yours, so stay calm, be cool, and I'll do what I can to help you, but you have to answer my questions first, understand?'

I nodded.

'Good,' he said, leaning back in his chair, 'Now, you seemed pretty desperate to leave that place, it's sheltered, there's plenty of food and water, I know that a lot of the locals around here would kill to get in, but you want to get out. What gives?'

'Well, about five years ago, our vault was broken in to. A group of people, they were dirty, they were wearing spikes and stuff, and they kidnapped twelve of the people that lived there. One of them was my best friend. I've spent the last five years trying to convince that tosser of an Overseer to let me out, but he loves the control too much, so I trained, and trained, and trained, until I got out.' I told him.

'Five years is a long time out here, kid,' Williams said, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward, 'Especially if Raiders got 'em. You'll be lucky to find them alive.'

'I've got to try,' I said, my hands clenching.

'Admirable,' he said, 'But foolish. Having said that, I can see that there's no changing your mind, and who am I to stop you, but pay attention. Prepare yourself for the worst, understand kid?'

I nodded.

'Now, what information do you want from us?' he asked, again reclining in his seat.

'Well, you've already hinted that you know who did it, so I want to know,' I asked, leaning forward slightly.

'I don't know precisely who did it, but from your description it was Raiders. They are people that have abandoned all morals, they are basically animals again, they eat, they sleep, they fuck and they kill. That's pretty much what they do.'

'These are the people that took Erika?'

'It seems like it, unfortunately.' Williams said, his voice taking a very serious tone.

'Well where is there nearest base, or hideout, or whatever? I need answers from them.'

'I don't know how good that'll do you, kid. We don't know how these guys operate. They could be as wild as dogs now, running purely off instinct.'

'I don't think so; otherwise they wouldn't have pulled off such a co-ordinated attack, could they?' I asked.

'Good point, kid, but we don't know if they are all working together and communicating with each other, or if each group works separately.'

'I've got to take my chances, haven't I?'

'I suppose. What else do you want to know?' Williams asked.

'Where is the nearest camp?' I repeated.

'Not too far from here, they've established a base over at Fairfax Ruins. Be careful though kid, there are a lot of them over there, and the base isn't shabby, they can keep us out of there just as well as we can keep them out of here.'

'Thanks. I don't suppose you have any spare weapons or anything?'

'I'll see what I can do. I can't promise though,' Williams said, standing up. 'Wait here.'

After about ten minutes, he returned with a baseball bat in one hand and a combat knife in the other.

'This is all I can do, kid. Good luck.'

'Wait,' I said quickly, 'Can you see me out, and point me in the right direction?'

'Sure, but after that, you're on your own,' Williams said.

I nodded as he guided me back to the elevator. Soon enough, we were leaving the fort, and Williams pointed to what looked like the remains of a town not too far away.

'There's Fairfax.' He said, 'be careful though, there are a lot of them, your best bet would be to go straight to it, through all the brush.'

He gestured towards the mass of thorns and dead plant life that covered the ground between the base and the ruins. I nodded and set off through the undergrowth, thankful for the lateness of the day, because my bright blue Vault jumpsuit stood out against the brown plants like the spots on a cow. I stopped on the edge of the brush, surveying the town before me. The buildings were covered in graffiti, and body parts, covered in dried blood and flies, hung from chains, with savage hooks holding the flesh in place. In some places there was no dismemberment, there was simply bodies, hooked and chained to the walls and across the streets. Crude barricades made from wood and barbed wire littered the streets, along with burnt out cars and piles of rubble from the buildings.

Movement caught my eye, so I crouched lower and peered through the dead leaves. A man was walking along by a building on the outskirts of the settlement, barely a hundred metres from where I was. He turned to face the wall and his hands reached in front of his waist, and soon after, a wet patch appeared on the wall as he urinated on it. Seizing my chance, I moved from the safety of the wildlife and rushed towards him, keeping low and quiet, but moving fast. About ten metres away, I stood upright and thrust my hand out, pushing his head into the wall, spraying it with blood. The man crumpled, and I leaned down and wrapped my arm around his neck and dragged him into the building on which he was urinating.

I set him in the darkest corner of the room, and with one hand pressed on his mouth; I delivered a swift punch to his lower abdomen. He let out a muffled groan as he came to, his eyes widened and he started thrashing madly. I grabbed my combat knife and pressed it to his throat. He stopped, breathing heavily and sweating.

'Now, you gonna talk?' I asked him.

He nodded. I lifted the hand from his mouth slowly.

'Hel-' He started yelling, but I silenced him by dragging the blade across his windpipe, blood pouring onto my hands as I did so.

'What's going on in there?' Called a voice.

I peered around the corner and saw the shadow of a man at the doorway of the house. From the shadow, I could tell this Raider had a gun, only a pistol, but a gun nonetheless. I picked up my bat and stood up, pressing myself against the wall, next to the door.

'Come out, come out,' the Raider cooed as he looked for the intruder.

As soon as his hands passed through the doorway, I struck, bringing my bat down swiftly, knocking the gun from his hands. I swung again, aiming for his head, but he ducked under the bat and delivered a hard punch to my body, send me staggering backwards. I looked up to see him coming at me again, but I brought my bat up and knocked his hands away, then kicked him in the body, sending him reeling backwards. He hit the wall and slid to the floor, then reached into his armour and pulled out a spiked knuckleduster.

'I'll tear you apart!' he yelled, rushing towards me.

I swung my bat, but he ducked under it and continued his charge, shoulder-barging me into the wall. The wall was weak, and we crashed through it into the next room, covered in white dust. I grabbed a handful and threw it at him, then taking advantage of the situation I swung my bat, as hard as I could, into the front of his knee. With a sickening crack, his leg folded forwards, and with a yell he toppled to the floor. I scrambled onto him and pressed my blade against his throat.

'How long have you been here?' I asked. I could see the fear in his eyes, and I knew he would talk.

'About six years,' he answered, panting heavily.

'Were you part of the raid on the vault five years ago?'

He remained silent. I grabbed my bat and pushed the end against his leg, causing him to cry out in pain.

'Were you part of the raid five years ago?' I said again, raising my voice.

He nodded.

'What happened to the prisoners?'

Silence again. I rested my knee on his thigh and used my bat to bend his lower leg to the side, and he responded by screaming in agony.

'What happened to them?' I said again, trying not to yell for fear of attracting more Raiders.

'We sold them as slaves.' He answered.

'Who to?' I asked

'I…I don't know. Raven took care of it.' He answered.

'Where is this Raven?'

'No one knows…she disappeared…about three years ago.' I could tell he was really worried now. 'Are…you gonna let me live now? I swear, that's all I know.'

'I never made that deal,' I said, standing up.

He groaned and rolled over as I stepped through the hole in the wall and picked up his gun. _'Lucky me,' _I thought as I inspected it,_' silenced'_. I climbed back through the hole, where the Raider was facing away from me, trying to balance on his good leg. I pushed him to the floor with my foot and stepped over him, planting a bullet into the back of his head.

I grabbed his spiked knuckles and headed to the upper level of the house, and looked out for more Raiders. Another one was heading to the house, a young woman with bright purple pigtails, and a row of [fingers/ears] around her neck, and an assault rifle in her hands

'Oh shit,' she said, I guessed she had seen the bodies in the lower level.

'I grasped my spiked knuckleduster and pressed myself against the wall, when I saw the rest of the house. In the room next to me, the wall had been demolished, and there was a gap of about three metres onto the flat roof of the next building. I thought about jumping it when I heard the Raider's footsteps, she had reached my floor. I braced myself, holding my breath, my knuckleduster in my right hand, my left hand clenched tightly. The doorway was to my right, so the first punch would have to be from my unarmed left hand.

She stepped through, and instantly my left fist connected with her bare midriff. She doubled over, and I grabbed her and threw her to the floor. She scrambled to get her gun, but I planted my knee into her ribs, pushing my weight onto it and threw a heavy right hand into the side of her face. Her hands left her gun, instead covering her head, a natural defensive response. I threw my fists wildly, me lefts trying to pass between her forearms to her face while my rights aimed at the side of her head.

'Where is Raven?' I asked her.

'Disappeared, a few years ago,' she panted.

'Where was she last seen?'

'Megaton, maybe,' She responded.

'Where's that?'

She pointed out the door, over the roof I was eyeing up earlier.

'How far?' I asked, getting close to her face.

She looked up and me and grinned, exposing her yellow teeth, covered in blood, then spat sharply into my face. I stood up, ready to throw some kicks, when the wall by the window exploded in a cloud of white dust. I looked out the window and there, on the building over the road, as a Raider with a huge sniper rifle, reloading. I heard the scrape of metal on stone, and I quickly glanced at the Raider on the floor, who was picking up her assault rifle.

'You're dead, meatsack!' she screamed, lifting the gun.

I quickly darted out of the room as I heard her open fire, and I leapt the gap onto the next building, landing with a roll. I turned to see the Raider struggling with her weapon, it had jammed. A large cloud of dust kicked up less that a foot away from my foot, reminding me of the sniper on the roof. I dropped off the back of the building as the Raider with the assault rifle jumped onto the flat roof I was just leaving, her rifle now working. I sprinted off in the direction she had told me, dirt flicking up all around me as the Raider shot at me, determined to take me down. I had ran too far though, and was now a speck on the darkening landscape as I headed to Megaton.


	4. One Step Closer

One Step Closer

For two days I travelled through the Wasteland, through the sweltering heat of the day and the bitter chill of the night. As the sun rose, the dim yellow light piercing the mist, driving back the cold with warmth that would soon become scorching heat, a settlement appeared on the horizon. I arrived at midday, the perimeter of the town was surrounded by a massive steel wall, with huge wings flanking a massive turbine.

'Welcome to Megaton. The bomb is perfectly safe, we promise.' The protectron stood outside began.

'Wait, a bomb?' I thought.

'Please hold for threat level assessment. Threat level minimal. Open the gates. Welcome to Megaton.'

The turbine above the wall started up, firstly a low whine, then gradually it became a deafening roar, and a large section of the wall rose up, opening the way to the town of Megaton. The entire town was built into a crater; small metal shacks made from scraps lined the sides, with pathways worn into the hard ground. A small crowd was gathered around the centre of the crater, one man tending to a two headed cow, several sat on stools by a bar, and one man entertaining a small crowd, standing in front of a large bomb.

'Holy shit,' I thought, 'that bomb is freaking huge.'

My eyes focused on a man walking towards me, a cowboy hat perched on his head and a large assault rifle slung over his shoulder.

'Hey there, stranger,' he called, waving his arm at me.

I returned the gesture, turning to leave, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

'Going somewhere?' The man asked, narrowing is eyes at me slightly.

'I have business,' I replied coolly.

'Well I'll be damned, another Vault kid. I've not seen one of those jumpsuits for about three years.' He said, removing his hand and stepping back. 'What is your business in Megaton?'

'Precisely that, my business.' I answered.

'Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lucas Simms, Mayor and Sheriff of Megaton. So I'll ask you again, stranger. What business do you have in Megaton?'

'I'm looking for someone. I was told this would be a good place to start.'

Lucas chuckled slightly, 'I've heard this one before. Go on, who are you looking for?'

I reached into my back pocket and showed him the photo of Erika.

'She was kidnapped by Raiders, so I'm told. Has she been around here?' I asked.

'Whoa, we don't deal with Raiders, they aren't exactly friendly, you know. We only bother with them if they're shooting at our gates.' The Sheriff said, his face becoming stern. 'Listen kid. I'm gonna let you ask around town, but you stay out of trouble, I don't wanna have to waste my bullets on your sorry hide. Oh, and keep the whole Raider thing on the down low, if you follow. I don't want people panicking.'

I nodded and headed towards the town centre, and then I turned back to Simms. 'Any tips on where to start looking?'

'Try Moriarty's, or Moira's. They see the most traffic, so they usually get all the information around here.' He pointed at two separate buildings, one with a large signpost above it with 'Moriarty's Saloon' crudely painted on it, and one that looked like the front of an aeroplane with the word 'Supply' written in huge metal letters attached to it.

As I gently passed through the crowd in the town centre, the preacher approached me, his hands flailing in front of him in my direction.

'You, traveller!' he said to me, 'Come! Drink the waters of the Glow!' his hands grasped my shoulder, 'This ancient weapon of war is our salvation!'

I pushed his hands off me and continued on, the rusting metal walkways creaking with each step I took. I stood before the saloon, and took a deep breath. I opened the door and stepped inside. The room was dusty, with small beams of light filtering through the holes in the shoddy metal walls. The air smelled like a mixture of dry air, stale food and body odour. A lull of noise filled the room as people chatted in small groups. I walked up to the bar and sat on an empty stool, the filling of the seat lumpy and uncomfortable. I placed my elbows on the bar and leant forward, keeping my head down, the sound of the radio reaching my ears.

'_Well there it is folks…horse's mouth…aren't alone in the univer…repeat…there are aliens out there…'_

The reception was weak, the sound distorted and crackly. A man with really bad skin shook the radio and slammed his palm on it several times, then placed it back down.

'…_I personally think he's had one Quantum too many. This is Three Dog signing off, and Sid Phillips signing on with 'Boogie Man.' Keep fighting the good fight.'_

My attention wavered as an instrumental track came over the radio, the potentially interesting report about aliens finished.

'What can I get you, friend?' a voice with a thick accent asked.

I looked up, standing opposite the bar was a man with thick blonde hair and a blonde goatee, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, and a sleeveless black leather jacket on over it.

He placed his hands on the counter and asked again 'What can I get you?'

'I'm looking for a man named Moriarty. Is he here?' I asked.

'Depends on who's asking' he replied, folding his arms.

'I was informed that he is the man to see with regards to information.' I said, crossing my arms too.

'Well, I'm Moriarty. What are you after?' He said, pulling a stool over and sitting down.

I showed him the photo of Erika. 'I'm looking for this person. From what I've gathered, she wouldn't have come directly through here, but she's from a Vault. I get the impression that something like that wouldn't exactly stay quiet.'

He picked up the photo and leant back slightly, his other hand stroking his goatee. 'Hmm, pretty little, thing, ain't she? Maybe I heard something, I'll need to know more though.'

I held my hand out for the photograph. 'She was kidnapped about five years ago.' I leaned in closer and whispered 'by Raiders'.

Moriarty handed the photograph back and said 'Look kid, I don't deal in Raider or slave business. I want you out, kid, and don't let me see you in here again. Keep that Raider business to yourself.'

Crestfallen, I pocketed the photograph and exited the bar, screwing my face up slightly as the hot breeze hit my face as the door closed behind me. The 'Supply' sign caught my eye; this was my last hope before I started asking everyone in town. I slowly walked to the shack, trying my best not to let the futility of my task get to me, but I knew I would never forgive myself if I gave up on her, something was spurning me on. I stepped into the building, and was hit by a wall of smell. Not the stale, dry stench of the bar, but a strong chemical smell that stung my nose with every breath. A light smoke hung in the air, it seemed to be coming from a small device with several tubes attached, the tubes other ends attached to two large barrels, one with a large flame motif on it, the other was covered in rust to the point where nothing else could be seen on it.

'Oh, hey there. Don't worry about the smoke, I'm sure it's harmless.' Came a voice with a slight lisp.

A woman stepped forward through the smoke, her face almost pitch black save for circles around her eyes, and a pair of goggles hung around her neck. Something had obviously exploded in her face.

'What can I do for you?' She asked cheerfully, obviously unbothered by the dirt covering her face and clothes.

'I'm here for some information' I asked hesitantly, surely this woman couldn't be of any help.

'Oooh, you have a Pip-Boy!' she exclaimed, grabbing my wrist and yanking it onto a nearby bench.

'Hey. Hey!' I said, pulling my arm back. 'Are you the person I'm looking for? Are you Moira?'

'Yes, I am.' She answered, 'what are you after?'

I showed her the picture of Erika. 'This person, have you seen her around, or heard anything? Her name is Erika, she was kidnapped from Vault 88 around five years ago.'

'Whoa, slow down there.' Moira said, chuckling. 'I can tell you are straight out of the Vault. Five years is a long time out here. And trying to remember a name or a face after this time is hard, especially when I get all kinds of loons in here.'

She paused as she pulled out a large tin filled with a thick, sickly green paste and started rubbing it on her face, then grabbed a large piece of once-grey-now-dark-brown material and started wiping the paste off.

'Loons, you say?' I asked, smirking slightly. 'What is that you are putting on your face?'

'Oh this? Well, I read, or heard, that before the war people used something called soap to wash themselves. I kinda re-invented it, and it's easily available. Just take a large amount of Brahmin dung, and some Mole Rat stomach acid and scent it with whatever alcohol you prefer, and hey presto, you've got soap. Personally, I prefer vodka.'

'That explains a lot', I muttered to myself. 'Back to business' I said, 'can you remember anything about Erika?'

'Nothing springs to mind, but the best person to ask would be Grandma Sparkle. She comes in every now and then to get her rifle fixed, always talking about her boys and hunting 'Lurks. Nice old lady, always brings me something to eat. Never stays though, says her boys need her.'

'So she might know something?' I asked.

'Maybe, she lives over by the river, here, show me your Pip-Boy, I'll show you where on the map.'

I said my thanks and left Megaton, following the directions Moira had given me. I followed the river until, sure enough, I saw a shack by a small dock, an elderly woman sat outside, gazing out over the river.

'Erm, excuse me,' I said, approaching cautiously.

'Oh, dear,' She said, jumping slightly, 'you scared the bejesus out o' me, boy. Don'cha know not to go sneakin' up on people like that?'

'Sorry,' I said quietly, taking another step towards her, 'but I'm looking for someone. You don't know where I can find Grandma Sparkle, do you?'

'Why sure I do boy,' she said, her wrinkled face breaking into a huge smile, 'that's me. Who's askin'?'

'I am. My name's Jason, Moira from Megaton told me you might be able to help me,' I said, stopping opposite the table she sat at.

'Oh she did?' She said, her smile vanishing as quickly as it had broken out, 'nice girl, Moira, few Brahmin short o' a herd, but a nice girl. Now, what is it you need help with? Keep in mind, that help don't come free.'

'I need answers,' I said, sitting down.

'Well now, that depends on the questions, don't it?' She said, leaning forwards, her old eyes boring into my own.

I took out the picture of Erika and slid it over the table, keeping my finger on it.

'Do you recognise this person?' I asked, 'I believe she came through this way, around five years ago, accompanied by, shall we say, less than scrupulous looking people. Moira said you have a knack for remembering this kind of thing.'

'Well now you mention it, I do remember something. Not a lot, but I remember a lot o' people comin' by one evenin'. A lot of 'em wearing them Vault suits, like yours, but a lot more of 'em looked like Raiders. I tell you now boy, you don' wanna be messin' about with Raiders. Nasty people, when I see 'em comin', my boys and I get in the shack and we sit it out. Real nasty people.'

'So I've heard, but this person,' I held up the photo for a second before pocketing it, 'she's a close friend of mine, and she was kidnapped, and now that I'm finally out of that Vault, I'm going to find her.'

'Well you don' see optimism like that very often these days,' Sparkle chuckled, 'tell you what, kid, I like you, you got the fire in your eye, you're determined. All I know is that the Raiders usually stop at the old Super Duper Mart just up the hill there. Seeing as them Raiders that have got your friend came by in the evening, it's likely they stopped there for the night, I'd go lookin' up there.'

'Thank you,' I said, standing up.

'One more thing, boy,' she said, holding up her hand, 'are you armed?'

I showed her the silenced pistol I had taken earlier.

'Well, it ain't much, but it's better than nothing. You know how to use it?'

I nodded.

'Good, 'cause them Raiders, they don't mess about. Good luck, boy.'


End file.
